The Chequers pub on Reading Road in the Hampshire town of Eversley is believed to be haunted by up to eight different ghosts.
The pub has been the centre of haunting phenomena for some time now; lights turning themselves on, sudden cold spots and kitchen items moving. The presence of a little boy known as “Jack” has been reported by others – including the previous landlord.
Angela Turner, the landlady, told local press one story which featured a young girl who became separated from her parents. She was found in the restaurant toilets, “Her parents heard her scream and she said ‘Mummy, there has been a lady talking to me’, but there was no-one there.”
In February of this year, after local flooding, the building was closed for a six week period for refurbishment. It was during this time that Angela decided to bring in a medium to contact a séance.
The medium Chris MacGowan investigated The Chequers pub and found a total of eight ghosts. These ghosts, according to Ms MacGowan, not only know of each other but consider themselves to be something of the ghost family of The Chequers pub a family. It is believed the eldest was 93 when he died and the youngest was 10.
“They know of each other and are aware of each other,” said Chris. “They are happy there and choose to stay.
“My feeling towards it is most spirits stay because they wish to do so.”
MacGowan noted that many of the ghosts had been unpleasant people before their death but had become content and gentle spirits. One ghost helped MacGowan trace the source of the flooding to a well now under the pub building. Another spirit introduced itself as ‘the head of the family’.
In Pure Spirit
Do you think it is unusual for spirits to form a family group like this?
I lived in the attic room here in the late to mid 2000s. There was a very noticeable presence in my room. I would awake in the night aware of something at the furthest end of the room from the stairs. Because of this I always had my bed against the waist height wall that joined the stairs should I feel like exiting quickly. A few starnhe phenomena occurred while I had a few friends over for drinks. Senwould insist on being walked down to the carpark at the back at the end of a night as they felt like they were followed down the long corridor. The bathroom, which used to be above the cellar was strange in the respect that even after the pub was closed, you could hear heavy objects moving through the floor. To the point where the bar manager woke me one night as he wanted me to go down because it sounded like we’d had a break-in.